C., he was still a bachelor. It was only the second year of his first term, in the spring of 2008. The heat of the presidential election had yet to reach its scorching high, its searing flames leaving only the charred remains of innocent lives in its wake.
No, in the beginning of our relationship, things were blissful, exhilarating, and amazing, all at the same time. Our first clandestine date turned into a second date, and that second date turned into a third. Suddenly, I was the governor's girlfriend. Or at least, that's what it felt like. I didn't dare use that word, fearing that uttering it might make everything we had, whatever it was, disappear. I was hesitant to fall in love with him, knowing who he was and what he was, but I would catch myself slipping, often, and when I did, I didn't care. It was fun.
This article appears in May 20-26, 2010.